Friday, April 25, 2008

The only way Oregon can get rid of Gordon Smith

Comments (5)

I grew up on the west side of the state, but my family spent a lot of time in central and eastern Oregon... thus, I see the state in total as it stands today. While I understand why the other side feels like a stepchild, it sometimes reaches ridiculous levels.

Let's see if the economic engines that are Portland, Salem, Eugene and Medford (not to mention the ports, tourism and timber industry) are expendable to Eastern Oregon government. Also, what happens to the OSU campus in Bend? Or OSU extension services that work with the farms and ranches? We could go on...

The idea has been around since the 1940's when a push was underway to create a new state - the State of Jefferson - from a conglomeration of southern Oregon and northern California counties. The effort was doomed from the start, as while the U.S. Constitution clearly permits a new state to be created from an existing state, doing so requires concurrence by both the state legislature and the U.S. Congress. In the case of the State of Jefferson, this requirement would have involved securing assent both in Salem and in Sacramento, as well as Congressional approval.

And while the present incarnation - dividing the state along the Cascade Range - is gaining interest in Eastern Oregon, the same hurdles make it unlikely to succeed. Their best option is to direct their energy toward persuading the folks who make all of the rules for the state of Oregon that it is in their best interest to secede from the state, creating a new 51st state to be known as Portlandia.

While folks in Portlandia may be unwilling to permit eastern separation, they are much more likely to support a Willamette Valley separation.

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 155
At this date last year: 241
Total run in 2015: 271
In 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269